Nothing can turn around my day and attitude like reading a story that makes me laugh. I love writing romantic comedies because I love reading them. I’m a sucker for injecting a shot of hilarity in my stressful daily routine, but not so long ago romantic comedy novels (sometimes called Chick Lit) got a bad rap. Some would say deservedly so—and I’m enough of a book snob to agree.
Rom-coms fell into a major rut. I mean, I like shopping and shoes as much as the next person rom-com was guilty of overkill.
For a while, it seemed as if the winning rom-com formula was sugary cotton candy-colored books and shallow stories that failed to explore the depths of women's emotions—the phase was as bad as vampires in YA.
And we know how bad that was?
Thank goodness, the genre has evolved out of its rut and returned to those rich, complex stories that are hilarious, real, and allow us to not only laugh at our mistakes but gain inspiration from our journeys. Below, we explore the Top 5 reason you should fall in love with this genre.
1. Nobody’s Perfect – And What a Relief!
Rom-com is all about flawed characters and truly funny comedy lives and breathes in imperfection. Perfection is rarely interesting…and funny even less. That’s what I love about rom-com nobody’s perfect. Hero or heroine, when you meet a character at the beginning of a rom-com novel, they are broken…or they are about to be. Rock bottom is never far away--and who knew the path to rock bottom could be so freaking funny? If you feel inadequate as a human being when you start the story, you will be relieved of all guilt and expectations by the time it ends. Indeed, you will be inspired with renewed energy to conquer your own life’s challenges.
2. Laugh out Loud Funny
You might cry while reading a rom-com but you won’t cry from sadness. Rom-coms guarantee at least a few laugh-out-loud moments. If you get a perfect gut buster, you’ll roll on the floor laughing with one rollicking predicament after another.
3. Root for the Home Team!
I never met a rom-com character that I didn’t root for...eventually. I may start out hating them at the beginning of the story--or maybe flat out annoyed. That’s the way a good rom-com rolls. It’s part of the character flaws and the journey to rock bottom. But it’s hard not to love someone with the determination to fight their way out of rock bottom, no matter who they are or how they got there.
4. Romance, Romance, Romance…
Rom-coms focus on the romantic side of love…more of the falling in love rather than the sex, although there’s plenty of sex, too, if you find the right book. But a by-product of comedy is the concentration on the complexities of relationships and love more than sex. Friends falling in love with friends. Enemies falling for enemies. Meet Cutes. Butterflies. Love taps. Stolen glances. Late night phone calls. Early morning phone calls. Surprise visits. Daydreams. Forehead kisses. The list goes on, and the characters often love one another through rock bottom which makes the resulting bond even more exceptional. Your rom-coms characters will not only navigate the best and the worst love, but they will also overcome their challenges and embrace each other…eventually.
5. Best. Endings. Ever!
I never met a rom-com ending I didn’t love. If it’s a good rom-com, the conclusion’s usually awkward and quirky as opposed to those perfect Harlequin endings. If the hero ends up with the heroine, the characters typically slip and fall into love, almost literally. They aren’t perfect, but neither is life. Where category contemporary romance and rom-coms part? The endings. Rom-coms acknowledge that sometimes happy endings don’t mean together and marriage, that sometimes a happy ending means “just friends” or “I love you, but I value loving myself more than loving you.” However, most of the time, after a bit of trouble, couples fall in love and live happily ever after.
So, the next time you’re aching for a great read, grab that rom-com. Trust me, it’ll deliver a big dose of hilarity, mixed with inspiration and the happily ever after that may be just what the doctor ordered.
Karla
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